The political and human rights crises in Venezuela and Nicaragua were predictable. It may have been preventable too, if media, multilateral institutions and governments had reacted to the obvious and documented warning signs.

Daniel Ortega has dug in his heels against a mediated solution to the crisis in Nicaragua. His intransigence and the politicization of the state makes it difficult to find a mediated exit to a looming civil war.

The protests and reactions to popular protests in Nicaragua may be a precursor to the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. This time is anyone willing to stand up to prevent the arguably inevitable?

For decades, the United States’ National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, has played a key role in shaping Nicaragua’s political arena. Today, NED grantees are at the forefront of the civil society groups supporting the current protests.